The ability to control devices using touch screen displays has often resulted in more intuitive and/or simplified operation of the device. However, in many circumstances there is a need to control a device when it is not safe, not possible or otherwise not efficient to see the touch screen device. In such circumstances, the user is essentially operating blind. One approach is to use textural clues to identify various control locations. As an example, typing on a keyboard is often facilitated by a surface marking on one or more character keys for positioning fingers and reducing errors in typing, particularly when typing blind (i.e., without looking at the results of the typing). However, typical touch screens do not have textural cues on the surface of screen. Instead, the typical touch screen display relies on the user's vision to identify and locate control locations. Blind typing on a touch screen display is difficult. Indeed, many individuals desiring to send messages on a mobile phone while having the phone hidden under a table or in a pocket, prefer phones having individual keys over a phone having a touch screen display. When touching keys, the operator receives continually feedback regarding the locations of the various keys (i.e., the control locations), such as by feeling spaces between keys, or by feeling a key having a different shape than a neighboring key.
Although touch screen display devices can be used as a control device, there is a need for improved methods and systems so that a touch screen device can be used as a control device in circumstances when it is required to operate blind.
Instead of giving textual clues, a touch screen device typically provides visual clues to identify the position of control locations on the surface.
Typical control locations are defined by an application. Although the operator may be able to move the control locations, such as by dragging a window, such movements typically requires an operator to first visually identify an initial location of the control location.
There are some applications which enable the entry of controls without requiring a control location to be identified. For example, when viewing photographs, various applicants allow the movement of two fingers at any location on the touch screen for enlarging, reducing, rotating, or shifting the location of the image. Here the number of possible controls is limited because the same operation occurs irrespective of which two fingers are being used and because there is no control location identified.
There is a need for methods, devices and systems that allow for control locations to be defined when a user contacts a touch screen surface instead of requiring the user to identify the position of existing control location(s) (e.g., through visual or tactile clues).